In this image, the robotic arm for the Mars Science Laboratory is bent at nearly a 90-degree angle. The robotic arm is undergoing testing in a laboratory at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The arm and tools will reach out and test martian rocks and soil. This arm is identical to the flight hardware that will actually be attached to Curiosity.

This image was taken at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.